Secret past of yob case businessman

The chequered past of the businessman cleared of intimidating a youth he claimed was among a group of hooligans terrorising his neighbourhood can be exposed today.

Christopher Fulke-Greville, found not guilty of threatening a 13-year-old boy he said was responsible for vandalism, himself has a history of violence, fraud and anti-social behaviour.

Despite painting himself as a middle-class citizen taking a stand against crime, he has more than 20 convictions for dishonesty.

He was convicted of assault this year after he admitted headbutting another 13-year-old he claimed had been throwing rocks at his car and himself. He plans to appeal.

While awaiting trial for that assault, he met the other youth at a petrol station and allegedly threatened him. That youth, also 13, claimed that two days later Mr Fulke-Greville, 54, threatened to blow up his house. A jury at Guildford Crown Court last week cleared him of charges of intimidation.

In 1993, Mr Fulke-Greville - a financial adviser, second-hand car dealer and "part-time racing driver" from Addlestone, Surrey - was found guilty of assault and sentenced to six months at Guildford Crown Court after neighbour Henry Lloyd George, 80, was stabbed in the head with a pitchfork.

One Addlestone resident said: "He's a bad lot. If kids are disruptive they need standing up to, but only within reason.

You have to stay within the law." A neighbour said Mr Fulke-Greville had such an aggressive reputation that residents held a party when he left Byron Road for nearby Liberty Rise. "Now we are trying to get rid of him," he said. "We don't want vigilantes round here."

Mr Fulke-Greville's 1993 assault conviction came after he had vandalised cars, damaged gardens and erected signs mocking those who had given evidence against him in court.

In November 2003, he was ordered to pay ?1,200 to a woman he had conned into buying a car with 72,000 miles on the clock that had actually done 178,000.

Woking magistrates then heard that he owed ?20,000 in unpaid fines after similar prosecutions.

Mr Fulke-Greville, who is married with two daughters, denies being a vigilante but said: "There is only one way to deal with these yobs - confront them and put them straight. If you tackle them, that's assault and it might be wrong but if somebody confronts me I will hurt them."